HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play a Great Lakes Valley Conference road game at Quincy University this Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. at Quincy, Ill.
NKU will conclude its two-game road trip Saturday with a 4 p.m. contest at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Both games can be heard live on the radio on WTSJ (1050 AM).
NKU improved to 11-6 overall last Saturday with an 81-80 victory over then-No. 1 University of Southern Indiana in Regents Hall. The Norse are 4-3 in the GLVC and tied for fourth place in the standings with Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Mike Kelsey scored 24 points and made a key basket late in the game to lead NKU past Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles had a chance to send the game into overtime with 2.6 seconds remaining after John Oden drew a foul attempting a layup. Oden hit the first free throw to make it 81-80, but after an NKU timeout he missed the second attempt.
NKU’s Jared Ronai missed two free throws - the second intentionally - with 1.7 seconds left and Southern Indiana rebounded. Avery Queen’s halfcourt attempt, however, was off target.
NKU rallied from a 77-73 deficit with 4:43 remaining in the game to take a 78-77 lead when Sean Rowland hit a short jumper with 1:54 left. Kelsey gave the Norse an 80-77 advantage with 1:12 remaining with a driving layup.
KELSEY CLOSES IN ON 1,000 POINTS: NKU junior guard Mike Kelsey now has 972 career points and is 25th on the Norse’s all-time scoring list. He has scored in double figures in 16 of NKU’s 17 games this season, and Kelsey enters Thursday night having a streak of eight straight contests in double-digit scoring.
Kelsey leads NKU in scoring at 18.6 points per game (No. 4 in the GLVC), and he ranks No. 2 in the GLVC in three-pointers made per game (3.06).
PURDON FINDS RANGE AGAINST USI: NKU junior guard Steve Purdon scored 11 points and made a trio of key three-point shots against Southern Indiana last Saturday. Purdon, who averages 8.2 ppg, has made 29-of-75 three-point attempts this season.
RUPE CONTINUES SCORING STREAK: NKU senior center Jesse Rupe enters Thursday night having scored in double figures in six straight games. He averages 14.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and he is shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
ABOUT QUINCY: The Hawks own a 6-8 overall record after dropping a 79-69 decision at Saint Joseph's College last Saturday. The Hawks are 2-5 in the GLVC.
Quincy is led by junior forward Cory Cummens, who averages 15.6 ppg. Sophomore forward Jordan Roth is scoring 10.0 ppg and is the only other Hawk averaging double figures.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: Earlier this season on Dec. 1, Jesse Rupe scored 16 points and converted a pair of game-clinching free throws with 7.5 seconds remaining as NKU posted a 75-73 win over Quincy in Regents Hall.
After Rupe hit the two free throws to give NKU a 75-71 lead with 7.5 seconds left, Quincy’s Jamal Thompson missed a three-pointer with two seconds remaining. Jordan Roth grabbed the offensive rebound and scored at the buzzer to account for the final margin.
Quincy held a 59-53 lead with 6:23 remaining in the game, but NKU used a 13-0 run to take a 66-59 advantage when Rupe converted a layup with 3:14 left. Brian Lewin and Steve Purdon both hit three-point shots to key the NKU spurt.
A layup by Thompson with 9.8 seconds left cut NKU’s lead to 73-71, and Quincy immediately fouled Rupe. He converted both free throws to seal the victory for the Norse. Rupe grabbed 11 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. He made all four of his field goal attempts and was 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
Kevin Reinhardt scored 17 points to lead NKU, while Mike Kelsey added 16 points. Purdon scored 13 points for the Norse.
ABOUT THE NKU/QU SERIES: NKU leads the all-time series with Quincy, 16-1. The Hawks’ only victory in the series came during the 1998-99 season, when they pulled out an 86-83 overtime win at the Pepsi Arena.
THE STREAK AGAINST SIUE: Going into Saturday’s game, NKU has beaten SIUE 15 consecutive times. NKU has not lost to SIUE since the 1991-92 season, when the Cougars posted a 97-90 win against the Norse in Edwardsville, Ill.
SIUE is 0-14 against NKU since joining the GLVC.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SIUE: On Feb. 6, 2003, Brenden Stowers made two free throws with 7.5 seconds remaining in the game to give NKU a 74-72 victory over SIUE at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.
With the score tied at 72-72, Stowers drove the lane and missed a short jumper. He grabbed the offensive rebound, however, and was fouled with 7.5 seconds left.
After Stowers made both free throws, SIUE’s Logan Glosser attempted a three-pointer at the buzzer. The shot was off target, and NKU escaped with the come-from-behind victory.
SIUE held a 72-68 lead with 3:56 remaining after a jumper by Justin Ward. NKU, however, scored the next four points and tied the game at 72-72 when Mike Kelsey converted a driving layup while being fouled with 1:36 left in the game.
Kelsey missed the free throw and SIUE’s Tim Bauersachs rebounded the ball. Ron Jones missed a three-pointer on the next possession, but SIUE’s Ron Heflin grabbed the offensive rebound and attempted a stickback. His layup, however, was blocked out of bounds by Chris Seabrooks.
Jones again attempted a three-pointer with 44 seconds left, but the shot was rejected by Bobby St-Preux and rebounded by Stowers. After a 30-second timeout, NKU ran the clock down, setting the stage for Stowers’ late-game heroics.
Kelsey and Jesse Rupe scored 14 points each for the Norse.
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Mike Kelsey |